The first complete biography of an influential historian whose dramatic life intersected with many great events and thinkers of the twentieth centuryThis is the first complete biography of Ernst Kantorowicz (1895–1963), an influential and controversial German-American intellectual whose colorful and dramatic life intersected with many of the great events and thinkers of his time. A medieval historian whose ideas exerted an influence far beyond his field, he is most ...

Radiances gathers previously unpublished essays by one of the greatest historians of the twentieth century. Although best known for The King's Two Bodies (1957), Ernst Kantorowicz's scholarly expertise ranged from classical antiquity to early modernity and from political pageantry to numismatics. These essays traverse the breadth of his expertise, exploring "radiations" of the themes that were central to his published work: sovereignty, t...

Since its founding in 1943, Medievalia et Humanistica has won worldwide recognition as the first scholarly publication in America to devote itself entirely to medieval and Renaissance studies. Since 1970, a new series, sponsored by the Modern Language Association of America and edited by an international board of distinguished scholars and critics, has published interdisciplinary articles. In yearly hardcover volumes, the new series publishes significant scholarship, criticism, an...

A new edition of the "brilliantly original and highly sophisticated" study of saint worship after the fall of the Roman Empire ( Library Journal).In this groundbreaking work, Peter Brown explores how the worship of saints and their corporeal remains became central to religious life in Western Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. During this period, earthly remnants served as a heavenly connection, and their veneration is a fascinating window into the...

This intellectual history of a rumored book of heresy reveals a persistent undercurrent of atheism from the Middle Ages into the 18th century.In 1239, Pope Gregory IX accused Frederick II, the Holy Roman Emperor, of heresy. Without disclosing evidence of any kind, Gregory announced that Frederick had written a supremely blasphemous book— De tribus impostoribus, or the Treatise of the Three Impostors—in which Frederick denounced Moses, Jesus, and ...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Is the classic, accepted view of the life of Christ in some way incomplete? The authors of The Messianic Legacy present a provocative and meticulously researched look at Christ and the history of Christianity.“Enough to seriously challenge many traditional beliefs, if not alter them.”—Los Angeles Times Book ReviewExplosive, thought-provoking, fiercely compelling, Holy Blood, Holy Gr...

"An indispensable point of departure for anyone interested in the cult of the saints in the Middle Ages." —Eamon Duffy, The New York Review of BooksFrom its earliest centuries, one of the most notable features of Christianity has been the veneration of the saints—the holy dead. This ambitious history tells the fascinating story of the cult of the saints from its origins in the second-century days of the Christian martyrs to the Protestant...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Is the classic, accepted view of the life of Christ in some way incomplete? The authors of The Messianic Legacy present a provocative and meticulously researched look at Christ and the history of Christianity, now featuring stunning illustrations and exclusive materials.“Enough to seriously challenge many traditional beliefs, if not alter them.”—Los Angeles Times Book ReviewExplosive, t...

Originally published in 1957, this classic work has guided generations of scholars through the arcane mysteries of medieval political theology. Throughout history, the notion of two bodies has permitted the postmortem continuity of monarch and monarchy, as epitomized by the statement, “The king is dead. Long live the king.” In The King’s Two Bodies, Ernst Kantorowicz traces the historical dilemma posed by the “King’s two bodies”—the body natural and the body politic—back to the Mi...

History of the Christian Church: Complete 8 Volumes Edition is a monumental survey of Christianity from the apostolic age to the Reformation, tracing doctrine, worship, institutions, controversies, and the lives of formative figures with remarkable breadth. Schaff's prose combines nineteenth-century historical erudition with a measured theological sympathy, situating church history within both classical scholarship and Protestant historiography. Philip Schaff, the German-born American theo...

A revelatory new account of the magus—the learned magician—and his place in the intellectual, social, and cultural world of Renaissance Europe.In literary legend, Faustus is the quintessential occult personality of early modern Europe. The historical Faustus, however, was something quite different: a magus—a learned magician fully embedded in the scholarly currents and public life of the Renaissance. And he was hardly the only one. Anthony Grafton argues that the m...

Philip Schaff's monumental work, 'The History of the Christian Church', spans 8 volumes and provides a comprehensive account of the development of Christianity through the ages. Schaff's writing style is scholarly and detailed, making this work an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the history of the church. Delving into theological debates, ecumenical councils, and the lives of key figures in Christian history, Schaff presents a thorough examination of the growth and spread of C...